The Leatherseller’s Company Charitable Fund provides the following two grant programmes for UK registered charities:
1. SMALL GRANTS PROGRAMME - fast-track one-off grants up to £3,000 for small projects. The Small Grants Programme will consider applications from UK registered charities, including charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs) but not Community Interest Companies (CICs).
Small Grants can be used to support charities that are working with vulnerable people and working in geographical areas of high deprivation in the UK.
From September 2021 to June 2022 the Company will run 14 short application rounds, with applications accepted on a "first-come, first-served" basis and the total number capped at 50 per round.
Eligible applicants must meet the following criteria:
o Are open and transparent about their work and finances.
o Demonstrably provide good value for money.
o Have an annual income under £200,000.
o Provide assistance to vulnerable people in their community.
o Working in geographical areas of high deprivation in the UK. An Indices of Deprivation 2019 explorer, showing the relative deprivation of neighbourhoods for selected areas according to the indices of deprivation 2019 and indices of deprivation 2015 can be found at this LINK.
o Working in partnership with others.
Applicants are required to provide the following information:
o What their organisation does to make a difference.
o Why its work is needed.
o Who their organisation is helping, and
o How they know their work is making a difference.
2. MAIN GRANTS PROGRAMME - from July 2021 until September 2022 the programme is running targeted funding rounds. Grants towards core, capital or project costs are available to support charities working within the focus area of the active round.
UK registered charities or Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) may apply for the following funding:
o Unrestricted grants (core costs) of between £20,000 and £25,000 per year for a period of up to four years, or
o Capital or other project funding grant for a single year up to £25,000.
The Fund’s current focus area for the Main Grants programme is supporting charities that are working to prevent the occurrence of and/or reduce the likelihood of long-term negative consequences of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). The term ACEs is used to recognise traumatic events that occur during childhood that can have a significant impact on a person's physical, emotional and mental health throughout their life. Examples include:
o Abuse - physical, sexual or psychological/emotional.
o Domestic abuse.
o Having a close family member serve time in prison.
o Mental illness of a close family member.
o Neglect - physical or psychological/emotional.
o Parental or caregiver separation or divorce on account of relationship breakdown, and/or
o Substance misuse by a close family member.
Applying UK charities should use a trauma-informed approach and evidence-based interventions. The Leathersellers' Company recognises that some communities suffer from a greater likelihood of ACEs due to systemic barriers. It welcomes applications from charities who support under-represented groups.
The Main Grants Programme is currently accepting applications from UK that:
o Are either lived-experience led or can show significant input from those with lived experience.
o Are operating in the UK in an area of deprivation.
o Can demonstrate the effectiveness of their approach through evaluation or external research.
o Have an annual income over £200,000 and under £2 million.
o Use a trauma-informed approach and evidence-based interventions, and
o Work to prevent the occurrence of and/or support recovery from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
The application process for Small Grants and Main Grants is as follows:
1. SMALL GRANTS
Applications are made using the online application form on the Leathersellers' Company website. There are 14 application rounds in 2021/22 and the Small Grants Committee will be meeting regularly to ensure charities receive a decision within a month of submitting their application. Applications are accepted on a "first-come, first-served" basis and the total number of applications are capped at 50 per round.
The next opening dates for application rounds are:
o Monday 6 September 2021 (for the Tuesday 5 October meeting).
o Monday 20 September 2021 (for the Monday 18 October meeting).
o Monday 4 October 2021 (for the Tuesday 2 November meeting).
o Monday 18 October 2021 (for the Monday 15 November meeting), and
o Monday 1 November 2021 (for the Tuesday 30 November meeting).
2. MAIN GRANTS
Applications are made using the online application forms available on the Leathersellers' Company website (please note that there are separate forms for core cost and for capital/project cost applications). There is a two-stage application process.
The next deadline for the first stage of the application process is Monday 6 September 2021 at 6pm.
First stage applicants will be informed by Friday 30 September 2021 whether they have been shortlisted for the second stage. A final decision on grant support will be made by Friday 3 December 2021.
Further information about the Leathersellers' Company Charitable Fund grant programmes are available on the Company's website.
